Asheville, NC

[Anastasis 23455]

Have to make a business trip to Charlotte in late Jan. Thinking about going up weekend before with the wife and staying in Asheville.  Need recs on everything from lodging to eats and activities. 

 

Saw this thread, but nothing really focused on Asheville for a weekend: 

 

 

[DalTxHornFan 3097]

We did a weekend there a couple of years age.  Fun place, but we were surprised at how a little town like that could have so much traffic.  Bouchon was our favorite restaurant.  Sweetbreads there were the best I've ever had.  

[horndale 0]

12 Bones BBQ is great.

 

[hobbs 243]

We also went a couple of summers ago.  Cool town, especially if you're a beer person.  Things I remember that are worth checking out:

• Our best meals were Rhubarb and Curate
• Biltmore - worth seeing
• Mt. Pisgah Trail - good hike

We stayed at the Indigo.  Good location & reasonable.

[hobbs 243]

Also, Buxton Hall BBQ was pretty good.

[MAROON 445]

Stop by and have dinner or at least drinks at the Grove Park Inn - 10 Presidents have stayed there so, it pretty much an institution.

 

Also the Downton Abbey exhibit as at The Biltmore right now.

[SquishMitten 10403]

Here now on a whim (after rescheduling a trip to the Caymans due to events of the past week left us not wanting to be out of the country away from the kids). Anybody got new recs since pre-Covid?

[DalTxHornFan 3097]

1 hour ago, SquishMitten said:

Here now on a whim (after rescheduling a trip to the Caymans due to events of the past week left us not wanting to be out of the country away from the kids). Anybody got new recs since pre-Covid?

Bouchon

(Oops, forget that I'd already posted this upthread a while back.  The place still gets great reviews.  Best sweetbreads ever.)

Edited July 16 by DalTxHornFan

[4th&Five 41506]

Chai Pani, Asheville Yacht Club, Dssolvr, Hi-Wire

[South Austin 52438]

I have an unanticipated and quick weekend trip to Asheville, arriving Aug. 2 and leaving Aug. 5.  I assume that the downtown area is relatively small so if I book a hotel in the general vicinity everything (restaurants, bars, shops) is within walking distance?  

[Duane Moore 5237]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

I have an unanticipated and quick weekend trip to Asheville, arriving Aug. 2 and leaving Aug. 5.  I assume that the downtown area is relatively small so if I book a hotel in the general vicinity everything (restaurants, bars, shops) is within walking distance?  

Yes, very walkable downtown. Grove Park Inn and Biltmore Estate (and Biltmore Village district) would require an Uber. 

[South Austin 52438]

Just now, Duane Moore said:

Yes, very walkable downtown. Grove Park Inn and Biltmore Estate (and Biltmore Village district) would require an Uber. 

Thanks.  Went ahead and booked at the Indigo, and dinners at Rhubarb and Cucina 24.  Chai Pani seems to have a lot of fanfare, but my wife isn't the biggest fan of Indian food.

She's also not a beer or wine drinker, so any recommendations on good bars with spirits are appreciated.

[Duane Moore 5237]

4 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Thanks.  Went ahead and booked at the Indigo, and dinners at Rhubarb and Cucina 24.  Chai Pani seems to have a lot of fanfare, but my wife isn't the biggest fan of Indian food.

She's also not a beer or wine drinker, so any recommendations on good bars with spirits are appreciated.

Cucina24 is very good.  I haven’t been to Rhubarb. Sovereign Remedies is a nice place for craft cocktails.
 

For breakfast, Early Girl Eatery and Green Sage are good options near the Indigo. The Mast General Store is also worth a quick visit nearby for shopping. 

[RDCanecutter 26377]

Poke around Malaprop's Bookstore while you're downtown.

[marriedup 71]

while out drinking, this place is great for walk-in giant slice https://www.piezaapizza.com/, For the morning after, https://biscuitheads.com/. Chai Pani is OK, but would probably skip if your wife isnt into Indian.

[South Austin 52438]

Bumping to say that my wife and I absolutely loved Asheville and wished we could’ve stayed an extra day or two. It’s definitely a blue/lib hippie city, and has a feel of what Austin was like maybe 30-40 years ago, but much more diverse. 

Rhubarb was excellent, our favorite meal of the trip. Cucina 24 was also very good. Tupelo Honey, not so much. All Day Darling and Mother were solid brunch/lunch fare. Lots of great breweries (it seemed like the town had 100 of them) and bars in between. We loved Sovereign Remedies  — thanks @Duane Moore — we met the owner, Charlie, who was a super friendly, and went back the second day.

Speaking of which, it was one of the friendliest places I’ve been in recent memory. From hotel and restaurant staff to locals we walked past on the streets. Lots of “good morning,” “hi,” and friendly waves from strangers.

Surprisingly, given the hippie vibe and decent amount of weed dispensaries, we smelled pot maybe once during all of our time walking the streets, unlike New York or New Orleans where you take a whiff every block.

We’d love to go back, and take a few extra days to include a day trip for hiking. In my retirement fantasy where I can actually break free from Austin, Asheville is very high on our list.

tl;dr version: Would bang Asheville again.